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Galley Tables

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Though
the indictment of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens yesterday on corruption charges
has been expected since his Girdwood chalet was raided one year ago, it still
came as a shock when it actually happened. KMXT’s Jay Barrett has more.

Reaction
from local politicians to Sen. Ted Stevens’ indictment had a common thread to
them – that it’s a sad day for all of Alaska.

Kodiak City
Mayor Carolyn Floyd had not heard of the indictment when KMXT called for
comment Tuesday morning:

--(Reax 1
Carolyn 118 sec“… a sad, a sad news item.”)

Kodiak
Senator Gary Stevens, no relation to the U.S. Senator, said the financial
impact on Alaska would be great, and we could be in for tough times ahead:

--(Reax 2 Gary
134 sec“… very difficult time for us right
now, I think.”)

There’s not
a corner of Alaska without Ted Stevens’ stamp on it, and Kodiak is no
different. Kodiak Island Borough Mayor Jerome Selby pointed out that it was Ted
Stevens who was responsible for creating the Kodiak Coast Guard Base – now the
largest in the nation – when it was scheduled to be mothballed after the U.S.
Navy pulled out:

--(Reax 3
Jerome 125 sec“… this base modernized and up to
snuff.”)

But that
same largess has cast a pall over the earmarks that Stevens is famous for,
earning him the scorn of pundits from both the left and the right in the Lower
48. Mimi Rosen is the vice-chair of the District 36 Democrats in Kodiak. She
says Alaskans bear some of the blame for creating that climate by turning a
blind eye to how Alaska’s politicians operated as long as they brought home the
pork:

--(Reax 4
Mimi 134 sec“…
it has leapt up and bit us.”)

Kodiak
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, reached in Anchorage, said the culture of corruption
in Washington DC is why she’s running for U.S. House:

--(Reax 5
Gabrielle 116 sec“… trying to change the way things
are done.”)

Local
Democratic Party Chair Dick Ross said the indictment could bode well for Ted
Stevens’ opponents in the primary, and for the Democrats in November if Stevens
makes it to the general election.

Kodiak’s
Gary Stevens said we’ll just have to wait and see how the indictment of
Alaska’s senior senator will affect the upcoming primary election, in which Ted
Stevens is facing six challengers.

--(Reax 6
Gary 212 sec“… react to that very strongly I
think.”)

Senator Ted
Stevens’ campaign office said he would not drop out of the re-election race.
The senator said in a written statement that he is innocent of charges that he
filed false financial disclosure forms to hide gifts given him by Bill Allen of
Veco Corporation.